Product Review: the Backyard Organizer Shed by Suntrellis

In today's society we accumulate a lot of clutter. Many families have two car garages that their vehicles never see. Often the garage turns into a disorganized storage space for things we don't know where to put or that we don't want in the house. My family renovates houses as a side business and our garage is always filled with old kitchen cabinets, carpets and an endless supply of tools. We decided to purchase a shed to alleviate some of our clutter chaos.

As a shed is an expensive item that is meant to last for a long time, we researched our options carefully. Models range from your basic Rubbermaid plastic shed that can be purchased for approximately $500 to an oversized custom cedar shed with windows that can be purchased for close to $5000. Based on our needs and price range, we decided to purchase the Backyard Organizer.

The Backyard Organizer is a model by Suntrellis that can be purchased at any Rona location. It is sold as a kit and is 10' x 8' in size. The shed is sturdy, made of wood and looks a little like an upscale barn. The roof is angled for wind protection when built against a fence. The cost of the kit was $1,129 (Canadian dollars before tax). A floor kit ($120), shingles for the roof ($60) and paint for the shed and trim ($115) were extra. Options my family did not purchase but can be ordered are shelf kits, ramp kits, shutter kits, flower box kits and windows. The shed comes with a one-year warranty on manufacturing and workmanship defects and a five-year warranty on the plywood siding, wood trim and hardware.

Home delivery of this product is recommended due to the size and weight of the packages. The ground will need to be level before completing the instillation and the floor cannot be receded into the ground as it may cause the siding to rot. The directions were sometimes hard to understand and a person with little or no mechanical aptitude would have difficulty with this task. Some of the wood was poorly marked and the truss support pieces were not visually the same as shown in the directions. It took my husband, a handy guy, and my father two days, approximately 15 hours, to assemble the shed kit and lay the shingles for the roof. Painting the plywood siding and wood trim took an extra day and is more work than the average consumer would expect. The wood soaks up the majority of the paint on the first coat if you do not use primer and there are numerous edges to tape and paint on the front doors. Caulking and edging the seams with paint is also recommended before beginning.

My overall opinion of the shed is positive and I would give it a rating of 4 out of 5. The instillation was complex, but the product is of good quality and serves its purpose. It would be a good purchase for any family that needs to store more than just their lawnmower and garden supplies. At least two people are needed to build the shed and the use of an air framing nail gun would make the job easier and quicker. Happy organizing!